Chair for a chair lift and chair lift

ABSTRACT

A chair of a chair lift has seats with a seat surface and a safety bar which extends transversely over the seats and can be pivoted from an open position into a closed position. Separating elements rising over the seat surfaces are arranged between the seat surfaces. By use of the separating elements, a passenger notices immediately if he is sitting in the transition region from one seat to an adjacent seat. He will then immediately correct his sitting position even before the safety bar is pivoted into its closed position.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of Austrian application A 1588/2008, filed Oct. 9, 2008; the prior application is herewith incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a chair of a chair lift having seats with a seat surface and with a safety bar which extends transversely over the seats and can be pivoted from an open position into a closed position. The invention furthermore relates to a chair lift with chairs of this type.

Chairs for chair lifts have at least one seat, generally up to eight or more, for example ten, seats located next to one another. In order to prevent the passengers from falling out from or slipping off the chair, the chairs have safety bars which go over the entire width of the chair. The safety bars can be pivoted from a position in which they are located above the passengers (open position) into a position in which a crossbar extends in front of the passengers over the thighs thereof (closed position). In addition, footrests are also frequently provided on the safety bars.

Since, in accordance with the regulations, the distance between the safety bar and seat surfaces is dimensioned in such a manner that even tall passengers having longer legs have a comfortable amount of space under the safety bar, the distance is generally too large for shorter people, and therefore the shorter people may slip through under the crossbar, in particular if, due to their shorter legs, they cannot support their feet on the footrests.

In order to reduce this slipping-through risk for smaller people, it is known from Austrian patent AT 411 523 B, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 6,691,624, and Austrian patent AT 411 046 B, to arrange securing parts, in particular protective panels, on the safety bars, the securing parts, in the closed position of the safety bar, extending in the direction towards the center of the front edge of the respective seat surfaces. After the safety bar has been pivoted into its closed position, the securing parts are located between the passengers' thighs. One problem which may occur in this case is that, when the safety bar is closed, a securing part may press against a passenger's thigh if the passenger is not sitting correctly on his seat. In addition, irrespective of whether a securing part is or is not present, there is the risk of a passenger sitting on the transition region from one seat to another and then his leg possibly being pinched by a support tube of a footrest, the support tube extending downwards between a passenger's legs or between two seats.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a chair for a chair lift and a chair lift which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art methods and devices of this general type.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention a chair for a chair lift. The chair contains seats having seat surfaces, a safety bar extending transversely over the seats and can be pivoted from an open position into a closed position, and separating elements rising over the seat surfaces and disposed between the seat surfaces.

The object is achieved according to the invention in that separating elements rising over the seat surfaces are arranged between the seat surfaces.

The separating elements make it possible for a passenger to notice immediately if he is sitting in the transition region from one seat to an adjacent seat. He will then immediately correct his sitting position even before the protective bar is pivoted into its closed position. The passenger's legs are then automatically in a position in which unpleasant collisions with the securing part or the support tube for the footrests are largely avoided. However, even in the case of chairs of chair lifts which have neither securing parts nor footrests, the separating elements are helpful, since they assist the passengers in finding a correct sitting position on their seat.

It is particularly preferred if separating elements likewise rising over the seat surfaces are arranged next to the seat surfaces of the two outer seats in the region of the boundary of the chair.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the separating elements have an upper side, the height of which is greater in relation to the seat surfaces in a front region located in the region of a front edge of the seat surfaces than in a region located therebehind. As mentioned above, it is generally important for the passengers' legs to be in a largely correct position. The passengers' bottom is then also automatically approximately in the center of the seat. As a result of the fact that the height of the separating elements is greater in the front region than in the region located further to the rear, the passengers' legs are largely correctly positioned in each case. On the other hand, some passengers who are somewhat wider could find it annoying if the separating elements press into their bottom even when they are in the correct sitting position. This is prevented by the separating elements being lower in the rear region.

In this case, provision could be made for the separating elements not to protrude over the seat surface at all in the central region and in particular in the rear region. However, it is preferred in the invention if the separating elements also protrude somewhat over the seat surface in the central and rear regions, since the passengers, both when sitting down and also during the journey, keep the positive feeling of sitting correctly because of the relatively low height without this being found annoying.

In order to achieve this purpose, within the context of the invention, the height of the upper side of the separating elements in relation to the seat surface can decrease continuously to the rear.

However, the height of the upper side of the separating elements in relation to the seat surface can also decrease discontinuously to the rear. This embodiment can preferably be developed by the height of the upper side of the separating elements in relation to the seat surfaces decreasing initially continuously or discontinuously to the rear and subsequently running substantially parallel to the seat surfaces.

Since seat surfaces are generally not completely flat but rather have a curvature or bulge to a greater or lesser extent, with these embodiments of the invention, the separating element according to the invention can also be optimally matched to the respective shape of the seat surface.

In the invention, it is preferred if the width of the separating elements decreases upwards and in particular if the separating elements have side surfaces which, at least in some regions, are concavely curved. As an alternative or in addition thereto, within the context of the invention, seat surfaces can be convexly curved at least in some regions or can be rectilinear at least in some regions. Irrespective of the profile of the side surfaces, it is preferred if the upper side of the separating elements is rounded over the entire length thereof or at least in some sections.

Although it would be possible within the context of the invention to design the separating elements, for example, to be relatively narrow and to have parallel side walls, the above-described embodiments are preferred, since the side walls then have a shape which is found to be more pleasant for the passenger if he touches the separating elements.

Since the separating elements are intended to have an annoying but not too unpleasant effect on a passenger in the event of a collision therewith, it is furthermore preferred if the separating elements are at least partially composed of an elastically deformable material. Depending on the embodiment of the invention, separating elements can be entirely or partially composed of a relatively soft material, for example foam or the like, or of a relatively hard material, or of a combination of such materials.

Within the context of the invention, the separating elements can be connected to the chair releasably or nonreleasably.

Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a chair for a chair lift and a chair lift, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, side view of a chair according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a section of the chair with the safety bar closed;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the section from FIG. 2 with the safety bar open;

FIG. 4 is a side view of a seat with a separating element according to the invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the separating element according to the invention;

FIG. 6 is a further perspective view of the separating element according to the invention;

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the separating element according to the invention;

FIG. 8 is a side view of the separating element according to the invention;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view through the separating element according to the invention taken along the line IX-IX shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a sectional view through the separating element according to the invention taken along the line X-X shown in FIG. 8.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown an embodiment of a chair 1 according to the invention which, as is known per se, has a frame 2 which is coupled via a joint 3 with a supporting rod 4 and a clamping device 5 to a traction cable 9. The chair 1 has a plurality of seats 14 which are located next to one another and have a seat surface 6 and a backrest 7. In order to prevent passengers falling from the chair 1, a safety bar 8 can be moved from an upper and open position (illustrated in FIG. 1) into a lower and closed position (likewise illustrated in FIG. 1). The safety bar 8 can be closed and opened either automatically with the aid of a mechanism 15, which interacts with a non-illustrated device provided in the stations, or manually by the passengers. In addition, the chair may also have a hood 16.

With the aid of the closed and encircling traction cable 9 (merely indicated in FIG. 1), the chairs 1 are conveyed from a non-illustrated valley station, if appropriate via one or more intermediate stations, to a mountain station and back again. In this case, the chairs 1 can either be decoupled from the traction cable 9 and coupled again to the latter in the stations with a clamping device 5, as illustrated by way of example in FIG. 1, or it is also possible for the chairs to be clamped fixedly to the traction cable 9.

So that the passengers, whose thighs 17, 18, 19 are illustrated symbolically in FIGS. 2 and 3, take up a correct position on the seats 14, separating elements 11 according to the invention are fitted between the seats 14 and rise over the seat surface 6 of the seats 14. It is desirable and required for the passengers to take up a correct sitting position in particular if additional devices for protecting or for the comfort of the passengers are fitted to the safety bar. A device for protecting the passengers may be, for example, a securing part, in particularly a protective panel 12, which, in the closed position of the safety bar 8, extends between the passengers' thighs 17, 18, 19 and prevents in particular shorter people, such as children, from slipping through under the safety bar 8. However, it is important for this purpose that the protective panels 12 are arranged between the passengers' thighs 17, 18, 19, which, in turn, presupposes a correct sitting position of the passengers on the seats 14. In addition, in particular when the safety bar 8 is closed automatically, the protective panel 12 is to be prevented from pressing onto a passenger's thigh 17, 18, 19 because the passenger is not sitting correctly on his seat 14 and, when the safety bar 8 is closed, one thigh 17, 18, 19 is entirely or partially located under the protective panel 12. Other devices which serve for the comfort of the passengers may be, for example, non-illustrated footrests which are likewise fastened to the safety bar 8 via support tubes and, in the closed position of the safety bar 8, protrude downwards either between a passenger's legs or between the individual seats 14 and therefore between the legs of passengers sitting next to one another. In this case too, when the safety bar 8 is closed, the support tubes are to be prevented from pressing onto a passenger's leg if the passenger is not in the correct sitting position.

By use of the separating elements 11 according to the invention, a passenger notices immediately if he is not sitting correctly in the center of the seat 14, and therefore he can correct his sitting position even before the safety bar 8 is automatically or manually closed.

As mentioned, it is particularly important for the legs to be arranged correctly in the region of a front edge 20 of the seat surfaces 6, in which region the support tubes and/or the protective panels 12 are located here. For this reason, the separating elements 11 have a greater height in a front region or section 21 located in the region of the front edge 20 than in a central region 22 located therebehind and in an end region 23. As a result of the fact that the central region 22 and the rear region 23 are lower than the front region 21, it is also avoided that people not quite sitting in the center of the seat 14 or people who are somewhat taller or wider and therefore require the entire seat width and therefore touch the separating elements 11 on one or both sides, find this unpleasant. This problem does not arise in the front region, and therefore the greater height thereof does not have a negative effect on how the passengers feel.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, the separating element 11 therefore has a front region 21 raised to a great extent in relation to the seat surface 11, a lower region 22 which is located therebehind and runs substantially parallel to the seat surface 6, and a rear region 23 which, in turn, runs in a manner sloping down as far as an end 24.

Theoretically, it would also be possible for the separating elements 11 to have a substantially straight upper side or upper edge 26 running substantially parallel to the seat surface 6, since, because of the generally rounded portion of the seat surface 6 in the region of the front edge 20, the upper edge 26 is automatically at a greater height in relation to the rounded and sloping section of the seat surface 6 located directly thereunder than in the sections located therebehind and having a substantially flat seat surface 6, since the effect according to the invention will also occur here. However, it is preferred, within the context of the invention, if the upper side 26 of the front region 21 is also raised with respect to the actual, substantially flat seat region of the seat surface 6 in relation to those sections 22 and 23 of the upper side 26 which are located therebehind.

In order for a passenger to find contact with the separating elements 11 according to the invention to be as pleasant as possible, in the embodiment illustrated the separating element 11 has a substantially triangular or trapezoidal cross-sectional shape in which the side surfaces 25 are additionally arched somewhat concavely inwards. In addition, the separating element 11 is rounded on the upper side 26.

In addition, in order to get passengers, in particular children, to spread their legs apart somewhat and to sit down correctly on the seats 14 so that the protective panel 12 can easily be arranged between the legs, a central region 13 may be arranged in the region of the front edge 20 of each seat or at least some seats 14, the region differing with regard to its graphical design from the regions arranged laterally next thereto. The central region may be a marking 13, for example a graphic, in particular a picture, a pattern, a logo, for example a company logo, or the like. In a simple embodiment, the marking 13 may constitute a geometrical figure of greater or lesser simplicity (for example a circle, cross, triangle, square or line) which already per se identifies the region to be free. The marking may also be, for example, a picture of a comic figure or of a mascot in order, in particular, to motivate children to leave the region free by their attention being drawn, at least as they get into the chair 1, to the picture and being prompted to sit down correctly on the seat 14 and to spread their legs apart somewhat.

For the fastening of the separating elements 11 according to the invention between the seats 14 on the chair 1, the lower side of the separating elements has a web 27 on which fastening tabs 28 are arranged on both sides. With the fastening tabs 28, the separating elements are screwed down on the chair, the fastening tabs 28 subsequently being covered by the seat cushions located thereon.

In summary, an exemplary embodiment of the invention can be depicted as follows: the chair 1 of a chair lift has seats 14 with the seat surface 6 and the safety bar 8 which extends transversely over the seats 14 and can be pivoted from an open position into a closed position. The separating elements 11 rising over the seat surfaces 6 are arranged between the seat surfaces 6. By use of the separating elements 11, a passenger notices immediately if he is sitting in the transition region from one seat 14 to an adjacent seat 14. He will then immediately correct his sitting position even before the safety bar 8 is pivoted into its closed position. 

1. A chair for a chair lift, the chair comprising: seats having seat surfaces; a safety bar extending transversely over said seats and can be pivoted from an open position into a closed position; and separating elements rising over said seat surfaces and disposed between said seat surfaces.
 2. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said separating elements have an upper side, a height of said upper side of said separating elements is greater in relation to said seat surfaces in a front region located in a region of a front edge of said seat surfaces than in a region located therebehind.
 3. The chair according to claim 2, wherein said height of said upper side of said separating elements in relation to said seat surfaces decreases continuously toward a rear.
 4. The chair according to claim 2, wherein said height of said upper side of said separating elements in relation to said seat surfaces one of decreases continuously and decreases discontinuously to a rear and subsequently runs substantially parallel to said seat surfaces.
 5. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said separating elements has a width decreasing upwards.
 6. The chair according to claim 5, wherein said separating elements have side surfaces which, at least in some regions, are at least one of concavely curved, convexly curved, and rectilinear.
 7. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said separating elements extend over an entire depth of said seat surfaces.
 8. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said separating elements extend over part of a depth of said seat surfaces.
 9. The chair according to claim 8, wherein said separating elements are only disposed in a front region of said seat surfaces.
 10. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said separating elements are at least partially composed of an elastically deformable material.
 11. The chair according to claim 2, wherein said upper side of said separating elements is rounded at least in some sections.
 12. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said separating elements rising over said seat surfaces are disposed next to said seat surfaces of two outer seats in a region of a boundary of the chair.
 13. The chair according to claim 1, further comprising securing parts disposed on said safety bar and, in the closed position of said safety bar, extend in a direction towards a center of a front edge of a respective seat surface.
 14. The chair according to claim 1, further comprising: a supporting bar; and a footrest disposed on said safety bar by means of said supporting bar, said supporting bar extending in a central region in front of said seat downwards from said safety bar to said footrest.
 15. The chair according to claim 14, wherein said footrest forms a plate-shaped support.
 16. The chair according to claim 1, wherein said seat surface has, in a region of a front edge thereof, a central region which differs with regard to its graphical design from regions disposed laterally next thereto.
 17. The chair according to claim 16, wherein said central region of said seat surface in a region of a front edge thereof, is a graphic.
 18. The chair according to claim 13, wherein said securing parts are protective panels.
 19. The chair according to claim 17, wherein said graphic is selected from the group consisting of pictures, patterns, and markings.
 20. A chair lift, comprising: a valley station; a mountain station; a traction cable encircling between said valley station and said mountain station; and chairs one of connected permanently to said traction cable and coupled to said traction cable for transporting people from said valley station to said mountain station, said chairs containing: seats having seat surfaces; a safety bar extending transversely over said seats and can be pivoted from an open position into a closed position; and separating elements rising over said seat surfaces and disposed between said seat surfaces.
 21. The chair according to claim 2, wherein said height of said upper side of said separating elements in relation to said seat surfaces decreases discontinuously toward a rear. 